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The Albany Congress
The British government had called a meeting of the colonial leaders, in Albany, New York. They wanted an alliance with the Iroquois against the French. The Iroquois refused, because they expected the French to win. The colonial leaders tried to work out a plan to defend themselves. Benjamin Franklin helped by publishing a picture of a snake with the words "Join or Die," in the Philadelphia Gazette. The Albany Congress approved the idea, but colonial assemblies rejected it. -
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The French and Indian War
British, Iroquois and the colonists vs. the French, Algonkin, and the Huron. They were fighting over the Ohio River Valley. They did this to get more land. The British won, so they gained all of the French land in North America. -
The Treaty of Paris
Britain and France had signed the Treaty, ending the war. France surrendered French Canada, all other territory east of Mississippi (except for New Orleans)and Spanish Florida to Britain. The Spanish received New Orleans, and all French territory west of Mississippi. -
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Pontiac's War
During the last days of the French and Indian War, the ottawain leader, Pontiac, formed an alliance with other Native American tribes who were desperately trying to hold onto their lands. Pontiac and his allies attacked British forts and settlements throughout the area. British setters reacted viciously as well. The killed many innocent Native Americans who did not attack them. The British finally defeated Pontiac's forces in early August , although Pontiac continued to fight another year. -
Proclamation of 1763
The British issued a ban on colonial settlement west of a line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains. Colonists were told they had to move to a location east of that line. They ignored the ban. -
Sugar Act
The British, in debt, began to impose different taxes and laws on different items. On of these taxes was the Sugar Act. It put a taxe on items made from sugar and molasses. It also came with a harse punishment on smugglers. Colonial merchants protested. -
The Stamp Act
This tax required all colonists had to buys special stamps for all kinds of documents. The stamps had to be placed on all documents, like newspapers, wills, and even insurance policies. Protests against this act were everywhere in the colonies. Merchants organized a boycott to protest the acts. Delegates From nine colonies met up in New York to sign a petition to demand that the Sugar and Stamp acts were ended. The protests worked. -
The Quartering Act
The purpose of this act was to make sure the British saved money. It required the colonists to house Britsh troops, and provide them with food and supplies. The colonists protested the act. Once again, the colonists complained Parliament was violating their rights. -
The Boston Massacre
A crowd of protesting colonists surrounded a group of British soldiers,and began to throw items at the soldiers, while shouting at them. This scared the soldiers, and they fired at the mob, injuring 6, killing 5. Governor Hutchinson, trying to calm things down, arrested 9 soldiers. Adams, a lawyer, defended them, even though he was a colonial defender against the British acts. But, he believed everyone had the right to a fair trial. He won,with only 2 soldiers being convicted, who were branded. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was intended to help the British East India Company. It lowered the price of the tea, by shipping it directly to the colonies. But, there was a monopoly. The monopoly hurt the colonial merchants, because they weren't able to compete with the lower priced tea. Even though the price on tea was lowered, the tax still remained. -
Boston Tea Party
During the night, a large group of man disguised as Native Americans boarded a tea ship. Over the next couple of hours, they dumped 342 cases of tea (around 90.000 pounds) into the harbor. The raiders destroyed the tea worth thousands of dollars. -
The Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were Britain's way of punishing the colonists for the Boston Tea Party. The first act shut down Boston Harbor. The second and third increased the powers of the royal governor, got rid of the upper house of the Massachusetts legislature, and cut the powers of town meetings. Anyone who killed a British solider would be tried in Britain. The fourth strengthened the Quartering Act. Parliament also made the Quebec Act, which made the Ohio and Missouri Rivers part of Canada. -
First Continental Congress
Twelve of the thirteen colonies, excluding Georgia, sent delegates to Pennsylvania to demand Parliament to end the Intolerable Acts. They also wanted training for militias to stand up to British troops, if needed. The Congress also called for a boycott of British goods. They then voted to meet up in May 1775 if their demands were not met. The British government had no intentions of meeting their demands. Instead, they used force to restore its authority. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
When General Gage learned that minutemen in Concord were storing arms, he sent 700 troops to take the arms and to kidnap some important colonial leaders. In Lexington, about 77 minutemen were waiting for them. The Commander ordered the minutemen to leave, and they refused. Someone shot, and the British fired, killing 8 colonists. A larger battle happened in Concord, where 3 British troops died. When the British retreated, the Americans fired. Almost 300 British troops were dead or injured. -
The Second Continental Congress
The delegates of the congress decided they needed to prepare for war. They first made an army. They made George Washington commander, because he had military experience and was respected. They also decided to make paper money to pay for the army. -
The Battle for Fort Ticonderoga
A group of daring colonists made an attack on the British controlled Fort Ticonderoga . The group was lead by Ethan Allen, and men from the Green Mountains of today's Vermont. They were know as the Green Mountain Boys. The force of 83 men crossed Lake Champlain and surprising the British. The group of 42 British troops guarding the fort surrendered almost immediately. The fort held valuable weapons, such as cannons, ans was the main route between Canada and the Hudson river Valley. -
The Battles of Bunker and Breeds Hill
British General William Howe decided to attack the hills. The American commander knew the Americans didn't have enough ammo, so the waited until the British army was 150 feet away, and fired. The first and second attack on the hills failed. But the third worked. The Americans had run out of ammo. The British won, but at a cost. About 1,000 British soldiers were dead or injured. The Americans had about 400 dead or injured soldiers. They had proven they could stand up to the British soldiers. -
The Olive Branch Petition
A resolution was sent to King George called the Olive Branch Petition. It stated that the colonies were loyal to the king, and the colonies wanted to stop fighting. The colonies wanted all disputes against Britain and the colonies were resolved. King George did not bother to respond to the petition. Instead, he declared that the colonies were rebelling against Britain. Parliament voted to send 20,000 soilders to the colonies to end the revolt. -
The Invasion of Quebec
Two American armies were moving their way into Canada. One lead by Benedict Arnold, the other by Richard Montgomery. They were trying to gain military power in Canada. Arnold had a terrible journey. His troops were forced to boil things like bark for food. In December, the Americans attacked Quebec during a bad snowstorm. It failed, killing Montgomery, injuring Arnold. The army stayed outside Quebec until May, when British arrived, and the Americans finally left, weakened by hunger and disease. -
The British withdrawal from Boston
George Washington had the cannons from Fort Ticonderoga dragged to Boston to help the Americans. The journey took three months. When they arrived, Washington positioned them on high ground overlooking Boston. The British couldn't defend the city. On March 17, 1775 the British withdrew from Boston by sea and never came back.